What's worth watching, and what might not be, in prime time on Tuesday.

TV's most popular scripted series returns for another season with big changes afoot. For now, Gibbs and his team remain on the agency outs, but that exile may be about to end as an explosion at a black-tie affair causes Parson (guest star Colin Hanks) to reconsider his NCIS attitude. As for the other major change, the show has been very open about Cote de Pablo's upcoming exit, even building its advertising campaign around Ziva's farewell. Tonight, that not-very-long goodbye begins.

One of the nice things about Person of Interest is that, for all its techno-patina and its master-criminal overlay, the cases themselves are often nicely person-sized. So while their night-mates at NCIS: Los Angeles are hunting for some stolen nuclear weapons, Reese and Finch and their now-hidden "machine" are simply looking for one naval officer in a sea of Fleet Week sailors. Odds are Carter will be of less help than usual, as she's now (at least temporarily) stuck walking a beat, thanks to a few corrupt bosses. What's a person to do?

Here's something to consider as a new season begins. Last year around this time, there weren't many people predicting Chicago Fire would make it into January, let alone be back for another September – and yet, here it is. Being on a network with lower ratings demands helped, but sometimes, shows just confound expectations. Anyone playing some TV version of fantasy football might want to keep that in mind.